Screw jack



C. J.- MOLTZ SCREW JACK Filed April 5, 1924 Cir Patented Jan. 13, 1925.

CHARLES J. MOLTZ, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

SCREW JACK.

Application filed April 3, 1924. Serial No. 703,937.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. MoLTz, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Screw Jacks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to screw jacks, and has for its object to provide means for adapting a jack to a wide variety of uses, and will be found particularly appropriate for railway work.

In some respects the present invention is an adaptation or modification of the jack shown in my U. S. Patent Number 1435412, dated November 14th, 1922.

In addition to .its lifting functions, for which the jack is provided with upper and lower lifts for high and low work, a jack in railway Work is often found useful for straightening or shifting ties, as where a tie becomes out of line or crooked in the road bed. The present invention provides an attachment whereby the jack may be fastened.

to one of the rails, in a horizontal position,

and the lift or toe of the jack may then be engaged with the tie, and the power applied to push the tie into correct position. This saves considerable work and time which would otherwise be required to re-set amisplaced tie. The attachment is also available for various other purposes where a jack is to be supported in unusual positions for operation.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figs. 1 and 2 are front and side elevations of the ack. Fig. 3 is a top view. Fig. 4 is a perspective showing the ack applied to a railway tie for shifting the latter.

In its main features, the jack may follow the construction of the patented jack above referred to. It comprises a body or stand 6 within which operates a screw 7 actuated by a ratchet nut 8 mounted on the upper part of the stand and confined by a bracket 9. The nut is turned one way or the other by a lever 10 which carries a double-acting pawl 11 either point of which may be engaged with the ratchet, as described in said patent. hen the nut is turned the screw is advanced or retracted according to the set of the pawl.

The screw carries a head 12 which I provide with a detachable lift or hook 13 which may be engaged under high work, and at its lower end the screw carries a lower lift or toe lt which may be engaged under low work.

The attachment for shifting ties especially, comprises an arm 15 which may be fastened at its inner end to the web of the jack by bolts 16, the inner end of the arm being shaped to fit closely against the web, whereby the arm will project outwardly at a right angle to the axis of the jack. At its outer end the arm is shaped to form a clamp to engage a rail head, said clamp comprising an inner flange 17 and an outer flange 18 with a groove 19 therebetween, said groove extending parallel to the axis of the jack, and the outer flange is provided with two set screws 20, tapped thru the same, which screws may be set up to engage the head of a rail and thereby fasten the jack to the rail.

The use of the device for lifting purposes is obvious. For shifting a tie or the like the jack is applied as shown in Fig. 4. That is, it is placed in horizontal position with the clamp engaging the rail 21, and being fastened thereto by tightening the screws 20. The jack is in horizontal position, and when so arranged the toe 14: will depend or project downwardly beside the tie 22. Then by operating the screw lateral pressure will be applied to the tie, to swing or shift the same around and set it in correct position crosswise under the rail, the support for the shifting thrust being sustained by the rail to which the ack is clamped.

In similar manner the jack can be attached to any convenient support in unusual positions and may then be effectively operated in unusual or restricted positions. Obviously, the supporting arm and clamp might be applied to jacks of other types than that described, and various other. modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

A jack having a standard with a web, and an arm rigidly fixed at its inner end to the web between the head and base of the jack, and projecting laterally therefrom, the arm being provided at its outer enclwith clamping screws for attaching the same to a sup porting member.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signa: ture in presence of two witnesses.

CHAS. J. MOLTZ. Witnesses ROBT. A. FOUARD,

HARWOOD PETTIS. 

